Recovery Finance: Financial health and mental health after incarceration

Program Summary/Abstract People who experience incarceration and have mental health challenges are disproportionately Black and Latinx, and low-income. This group experiences financial hardships regardless of incarceration due to racism and other forms of discriminations, with associated negative health outcomes. These financial issues have a

direct impact on health, create barriers to employment and housing, stress social networks, contribute to feelings of exclusion and contribute to recidivism, all of which are health determinants. The goal of the parent award is to intervene at the community level to reduce financial difficulties of individuals with incarceration

histories and mental health challenges, who are predominantly Black and Latinx. The proposed diversity supplement investigates how employment experiences shape financial behaviors and psychological well-being post-incarceration. Using mixed methods with justice-involved individuals in New Haven, it examines how pre-incarceration job conditions influence current financial attitudes and knowledge.

In-depth interviews explore connections between early vocational exposures and present economic situations and psychological wellness. Concurrently, contemporary workplace contexts are tracked longitudinally, assessing barriers and facilitators impacting financial stability during reentry. Integrated analysis clarifies how

formative work experiences necessitate tailored financial empowerment initiatives responsive to situated transitional realities. Elucidating these complex interrelationships addresses major scholarly gaps while generating actionable evidence to foster supportive labor market climates. Core ethical commitments center

participatory design, upholding collaborative interpretation, and methodology justice principles. This project's focus on employment's instrumental role in capability development. Justice-involved individuals help development through this stakeholder partnership. Findings will delineate structural reforms plus the

development of a tailored intervention that promotes equitable inclusion and multidimensional flourishing.